Becoming French: Minorities and the Challenges of Integration in the French Republic

Recent controversies around Muslim integration, including debates around the headscarf and uprisings in the working class suburbs of French cities, point to difficulties France has faced in integrating minority populations. We'll explore the encounter between France and its immigrant, religious, and racial minorities from the Revolution to contemporary times. By comparing paths of integration and debates around minority inclusion and consider how minorities negotiated their identities as they struggled to internalize France’s cultural and historical legacy. We'll addresses political and historiographical debates over the relationship between political citizenship and religious/cultural identity. Enrollment limited to 20 sophomores.